Gamera vs. Godzilla (1972 film)
Gamera vs. Godzilla (also known as Gamera tai Godzilla) is a 1972 Japanese co-production between studio rivals Daiei and Toho. The film is not considered canon within the two monster’s respective series, most likely to avoid backlash from the two fanbases when it comes to definitive strength comparisons. It is the thirteenth entry in the Godzilla series, as well as the eighth film in the Gamera series. Plot The film opens with a flashback sequence, tinted in black and white, that tells an altered version of Gamera’s backstory. A friendly-sounding narrator explains that Gamera has always been a friend to children, painting him as a good kaiju and retconning the events of the first movie (which portrayed him going on a violent rampage through Japan). After a five-minute long intro featuring stock footage of Gamera battling kaiju from his previous movies, the narrator’s tone suddenly gets dark as he states that “Gamera is about to fight his greatest foe yet: Gojira”. Cue Godzilla’s trademark roar and the credits sequence, with the “Gamera vs. Godzilla” title card being displayed in green and red text. An ominous instrumental piece plays for the duration of the credits. The film opens with the introduction of a boy named Yoshiro, who is the son of noted scientist Yamashiro Sakuza. It’s explained through narration that Dr. Sakuza is known for his research on strange happenings around the world, and has predicted the arrival of almost every monster that Gamera has ever fought. Sakuza has recently taken his son, as well as a team of researchers and workmen, on one of his excursions to the Marshall Islands, as a strange blue glow can be seen just off the shores. After a brief investigation, it’s discovered that the glow emits high radioactivity when it’s at its brightest, and Sakuza tells his son to stay in the makeshift base. Later, in the dead of night, after all the working men have fallen asleep after a hard day’s work, a restless Yoshiro can’t seem to fall asleep. Suddenly, a faint green light appears above the tent he’s sleeping in; Yoshiro, being the only one awake, is the only one to notice. Disobeying his father, Yoshiro sneaks out of the tent and gets a better look at the glowing object. The green light is from none other than a cigar-shaped UFO, and it’s headed towards the blue glow in the water. The frightened Yoshiro hurries back inside and wakes everyone up with his cries for help. After informing the tired and annoyed workforce of what he saw, they interpret what he says as delusion and go back to sleep. The only one who seems to even slightly believe Yoshiro is his father, Sakuza, who very clearly remembers the incident with the space monster Viras. The following morning, a violent rumbling awakens the people in the base. A towering, dinosaurian creature emerges from the waters, roaring into the yellowed-orange sky with a faint green glow in its eyes. Sakuza immediately recognizes the figure as a member of a long-thought-extinct race of dinosaurs and dubs the creature “Godzilla”. After Godzilla notices and destroys their radar equipment, an order to evacuate the base is issued. The workforce manages to escape but at the cost of their findings, which are destroyed by Godzilla’s atomic breath. As the group leaves the island by boat, Godzilla turns his attention to the boat and begins to follow it. The group eventually manages to get away from Godzilla. Once the team arrives on the Japanese mainland they’re informed that a giant creature is heading for the mainland. The creature obviously being Godzilla, Sakuza quickly gets ahold of his brother Ichiro, who majors in prehistory, to give an informed analysis on Godzilla to the Japanese Self Defense Forces in the hopes that they will find a weakness. Sakuza also calls in some JDSF operatives to look after his son. Godzilla arrives on the mainland, his eyes coated in a green aura. The JSDF are quick to respond, unloading most of their firepower on the beast. Godzilla, unaffected by the barrage of heavy firepower, annihilates the lines of defense with ease and continues his path of destruction. Meanwhile, on the northern shore of Japan, the cigar-shaped UFO from earlier has surfaced from the waters and is heading towards Tokyo. At first it’s unknown if the UFO is hostile, but that question is soon answered by the flying object’s ray beam, which starts disintegrating buildings. The JSDF is then forced to split into two to combat both Godzilla and the UFO. Cutting back to a rampaging Godzilla (with stock footage from Destroy All Monsters), Yoshiro, who has been separated from his JSDF protectors, is trapped under a crumbled building. The boy desperately calls for help as Godzilla approaches the building, seemingly glaring at him. Just then, a familiar warbled roar is heard. The roar belongs to none other than Gamera, who has shown up to stop the king of the monsters. Gamera lands beside a building, gaining the attention of Godzilla and giving Yoshiro time to escape. The two kaiju battle battle for what appears to be hours (as the lighting of the sky shifts several times during close-up shots). Ultimately, Godzilla comes out victorious after he breaks through Gamera’s hard shell with a well-placed jab, forcing the turtle kaiju to retreat. Godzilla then continues his path of destruction through Japan. Yoshiro is rescued by a passing JSDF crew and is brought along to a briefing by Professor Ichiro Sakuza. Ichiro informs the crew of Godzilla’s anatomy, bringing up possible weak points. One of discrepancy in the professor’s lecture is brought up: the “Godzilla” species doesn’t normally have glowing green eyes. Yoshiro then brings up the fact that he saw the UFO sink into the water where Godzilla was sleeping before the kaiju woke up and that it had a similar green glow to it. With this piece of information, the professor theorizes that the aliens must be controlling Godzilla, and all focus must be re-directed to the UFO. Meanwhile, Gamera is recovering from his wound on the ocean floor. Pieces of his shell are seen to be slowly regenerating. Later that night, Godzilla and the UFO converge in Tokyo, with the two meeting up at the capital building. The UFO hovers in place and emits a long-reaching broadcast signal which declares that the country of Japan should surrender itself to the Uchujin, or face the wrath of Godzilla; confirming Ichiro’s superstitions. Work on an anti-mind control ray begins. Suddenly, a recovered Gamera shows up to fight Godzilla once again. The two kaiju battle, the UFO hovering above and watching. Gamera is much more strategic now, hiding behind buildings and taking advantage of Godzilla’s slow movements. As the battle reaches its climax, a group of maser tanks roll up with breaching equipment. The masers fire at the UFO and block out the mind control waves and free Godzilla from its control. The green glow in Godzilla’s eyes disappears, and the king of the monsters angrily stomps towards the UFO, Gamera following from behind. The two kaiju chase the UFO. After the UFO starts heading for space, Godzilla hops on Gamera and uses him as a sort of air-surfboard, continuing the usual Godzilla/Gamera tradition of having a really bizarre scene happen towards the end of the film. The two rise up and swat the UFO out of the sky, sending it crashing into the ground. With yet another alien threat dealt with and the day saved, Godzilla and Gamera shake hands and go their separate ways. The film ends with a shot of both monsters heading for the ocean, with the human characters waving goodbye. Production With the previous Gamera movie, Gamera vs. Zigra, underperforming in the box office, Daiei was in desperate need of an idea that would resonate with Japanese moviegoers; otherwise they would be forced to declare bankruptcy. Toho, possibly out of sympathy for their rival, approached Daiei with the opportunity to have Gamera fight Godzilla in a brand new film, potentially boosting the popularity of both monsters. Daiei initially refused the offer, as one of the original proposed screenplays featured the king of the monsters brutally murdering the friend to all children. Several weeks later, a new screenplay by Daiei themselves was whipped up; one which Toho approved of, beginning production. The decision to have the film take place in a, admittedly altered, Gamera canon came from the initial premise of the project, which stated that Godzilla and Gamera would have to fight in a way that didn’t feel out of character (because Toho wanted Godzilla to stay as a heroic character). The screenwriter had a very hard time figuring out how to make Godzilla more villainous for the sake of making Gamera want to fight him, so it was decided that aliens would be involved in some way, as it wouldn’t feel out of place in either series. Unfortunately, production on Godzilla vs. Gigan was under way during the period, so both films had to be shot, sometimes on the same set, and put Godzilla the suit-actor, Haruo Nakajima, under an unhealthy amount of stress; so much so that he vowed to never play the character again after production of both film wrapped up.